Insight: Working at Nilorn

“I find inspiration everywhere. It can be a film, a personality or a piece of music that puts me in a special mood. Talking to people is also highly inspiring as it makes ideas grow” says Christina Walter.

Christina has worked as a designer for Nilorn in Germany since 2014 and works on our collections and concepts. “I have high hopes for the future. I believe in a circular economy based on the cradle to cradle concept where safe materials - natural or synthetic - are intelligently cycled and manufactured in ways that positively impact people and planet”.

“I’m a mother. A wife. An Art Director. A daughter. A friend. And my interest for a more sustainable way of life comes into all those roles. And in all of them it is about finding the right balance and about learning as you go along”, says Marie Huber.

It all started with a school visit to Nilorn while studying textile purchasing and management. “I felt that their design department would suit me perfectly” says Marie. She started as an intern at Nilorn in 2001 and now holds the position as one of our Art Directors.

It’s not just a trend, it is the future

We aim to always discuss the implications on sustainability that a choice of materials has, in the dialogue we have with our

clients. It is here, in the idea and design phase, that Nilorn can play an important role, that has effects along the whole life

cycle of our products. We want to be in the forefront, scouting for new interesting materials and solutions, because we see

this as a really important part of our long term success as a supplier. So the knowledge and innovative skills of our design

team is of course a very important success factor for Nilorn. Read some more here about how we work with more sustainable

materials at Nilorn and get some direct insights from some of our design team members.

A GROWING INTEREST FROM OUR CUSTOMERS “Over the years the interest from customers for more sustainable materials has had its ups and downs. But this time round I really feel that it is different. The customers are more knowledgeable about their alternatives and are prepared to choose a sometimes more costly, but more sustainable alternative” Marie explains. “We see an increasing interest in FSC certified paper products, in recycled polyesters and also other alternatives to traditional plastic materials. We also see customers that are making a complete turnaround, setting targets to have all their labels and trims in sustainable materials within just a few years”.

Sustainable materials are definitely a growing market for Nilorn. In Germany there has been a strong focus on this from Outdoor brands, but we now see that an increasing number of fashion companies are asking for these products. “It has gone from “nice to have” to being a better choice in the minds of our clients” says Christina. “I just learned that our recycled polybag is one of our bestselling products” she continues.

The range of materials that we can work with is increasing. Recycled materials like polyester, cotton and leathers, just to mention a few, and natural fabrics like bamboo and hemp. There are also high-tech fibres made from vegetable fibres or oils. “We have to keep an open mind to future technologies and materials” says Christina.

“Even if the customer makes another final choice, we aim to give them a more sustainable option to start with. In that way we hope the client keeps the sustainable offer in mind. And next time they see it as an option for them to change” Christina explains.

THE WHOLE CHAIN NEEDS TO LIVE UP TO OUR STANDARDS Of course there are also challenges when it comes to choosing new materials. It often means changes in our supply chain, which in turn requires of us to update risk assessments and audit these new suppliers. Transparency is a key issue for us and therefore we need to ensure that we have those things in order before we sell the product to our clients.

“It is also easier for us to find alternative materials and new concepts and the suppliers are getting better at delivering on time, with quality and trustworthiness. It is still sometimes challenging and of course you wish that it would go even faster. But this is not just a trend, it is the future and we will continue to be in the forefront and propose new solutions for our clients”, Marie concludes.

“Our sustainable design collections have been seen very positively by our clients”